Paper short abstract

This paper examines the environmental and economic impact of the Little Ice Age in the mountainous Akiyama region between the Echigo and Shinano Provinces from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century.

Paper long abstract

During the Little Ice Age (1300–1850), when global cooling reshaped environments, economic changes followed suit. This paper examines the Little Ice Age’s impact on the Akiyama region from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century. Akiyama, the mountain region between the Echigo and Shinano Provinces, became a landlocked island during winter, due to the particularly heavy snowfall in the northwestern areas of Japan. Combined with the long duration of the winter months, it provides a striking case study of the influence of climate fluctuations on the adaptation and survival strategies of mountain communities.

The long, snow-heavy winters influenced both the availability of crops for agricultural use and the naturally available resources. Accounts from the early nineteenth century describe how the Akiyama mountain communities collected horse chestnuts, grew millets, and struggled to cultivate rice and beans. These records allow us a glimpse into the influence of the Little Ice Age’s climate fluctuations on microclimate and the economic makeup of the region. Contemporary travel diaries, such as Suzuki Bokushi’s (1770–1842) account of his journey to Akiyama (Akiyama Kikō), mention the people of Akiyama as either unable or afraid to leave their settlements; shut in like snails in their shells, due to the looming threat of avalanches that could come down at any moment. These harsh conditions created a strong motivation to accumulate provisions throughout the year, resulting in a near self-sufficient circular economy (e.g. reliance on local ingredients, storage, and limited in- and outflow of goods) which struggled to adapt to changes in environmental conditions. As the fear of famine increased, this locally focused system became more permeable, relying increasingly on agriculture and even outside involvement such as hunters and merchants.

This paper argues that climatic fluctuations of the Little Ice Age did not only influence Akiyama’s internal, near-self-sufficient economy but also its connections to external actors and markets. Using pilgrimage records, local chronicles, and Bokushi’s detailed proto-ethnographic and environmental observations, this paper investigates how shifts in previously stable environmental conditions altered patterns of production, provisioning, and exchange in Akiyama.